Tag Archives: thermic effect of feeding

Most of the time, the numbers you hear are 20-30 grams of protein/meal.

Have you also heard that consuming anything more than 20-30 grams in a meal is actually a “waste?”

Whether you have or not, let’s explore why it may or may not be a waste.

The following 2 studies show that consuming more than 20-30g of protein had no greater result in maximizing protein synthesis within subjects:

“The first study showed that when college-aged weight trainers drink 0g, 5g, 10g, 20g, or 40g of protein after weight training sessions, muscle protein synthesis is stimulated maximally at the 20g dose. No further increases in muscle protein synthesis occurred at the 40g dose.”

“The second study showed that when young and elderly volunteers were given 30 or 90g of dietary protein in a single meal, the 30g dose maximally stimulated muscle protein synthesis. No further increases in muscle protein synthesis occurred at the 90g dose.”

As mentioned before, both of these studies showed that at 20-30g of protein/meal, protein synthesis is maximally stimulated. Is this the only reason we eat protein though? Or are there other benefits to consuming a diet rich in protein besides just protein synthesis?

ADDITIONAL PROTEIN BENEFITS:

Increased thermic effect of feeding (TEF): TEF is the amount of energy expenditure that comes from the cost of processing food for use and storage in our bodies. The thermic effect of protein is roughly double that of carbohydrates & fat. This means that eating protein may lead to a higher metabolic rate.

Reduction in cardiovascular risk: “Increasing the percentage of protein in the diet from (11-23%) while decreasing the percentage of carbohydrate (from 63-48%) lowers LDL cholesterol (the bad stuff) and triglyceride concentrations with concomitant increases in HDL cholesterol (the good stuff) concentrations.”

Increased protein turnover: Tissues in our body (including muscle), all must go through a regular program of turnover. A balance between protein breakdown & protein synthesis (build-up) governs protein turnover. A diet with adequate protein amounts helps aid in getting rid of old muscle more quickly so that we are able to build up new, better quality muscle to take its place.

In no way, shape, or form am I pushing you to start a high protein diet. More so, I just want to bring awareness to how much protein we should be consuming during each meal and what the benefits of that would be. Even though studies have shown that protein synthesis is only maximized within the 20-30g/protein range, we can still gain these other benefits to consuming more. Therefore, it is perfectly fine to consume more than 20-30g/meal.

Remember, when it comes to diet & exercise, what works for 1 person may not work for the next. A marathoner isn’t going to have the same diet as a bodybuilder. Do what works for you & your body with reap the results & thank you in the process!